Shanghai Street Vendor
Set in the bustling streets of Shanghai in the late 1930s, follow the story of a young Chinese street vendor who befriends an American journalist. Through this unlikely friendship, they navigate the dangers of the city on the brink of World War II, sharing stories and secrets that could put both of their lives at risk.
Suggested length: A short story: 1,500 to 5,000 words, or flash fiction under 1,000
Start the clock
Pick a sprint, press start and keep going until it stops. Momentum beats polish on a first draft.
Make it yours
Three ways to take this prompt somewhere nobody else will.
- Give the hero a rule of the era they have to break.
- Choose one real detail of the period, like a price, a law or a song, and build a scene around it.
- Keep the famous event offstage and show its ripples.
Writing historical fiction
Step into another time and feel what it was like.
Historical fiction is set in the past, usually at least 50 years before it was written. Real events and people often appear, but the story belongs to its characters. Readers come for the immersion: the smells, the rules, the dangers of a world that's gone.
What readers expect
- A vivid, well-researched setting
- Real events as backdrop or engine
- Characters shaped by their era
- Details that feel lived, not looked up
A tip before you start
Research deeply, show lightly. One telling detail in a scene beats a paragraph of facts.
More 20th Century Historical Fiction prompts
- The Woman and the Indian DoctorShe forms an unlikely friendship with an Indian doctor. Through their conversations, reveal the complex layers of colonial rule, nationalist…
- A Stranger in the Dust BowlDuring the Great Depression, a family in the Dust Bowl struggles to maintain their farm. A mysterious stranger arrives, offering a solution that could…
- The Secret Freedom FighterWrite about a woman from a conservative family in 1960s India who secretly joins the freedom movement against British rule. Describe how she leads a…
- The Stranger at the Dust Bowl FarmWrite a story set during the Great Depression, focusing on a family running a dustbowl farm. As they fight to keep their land against all odds, a…
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